Megan

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

[From left to right:] Greg Bingaman from Quadcross Northwest, Ann Farina from The Code Green Campaign, & Megan Brown from Pit Traffic holding the ceremonial check.Our 2nd annual potluck was a huge success in many ways this year. Our biggest success was that we raised almost $4000 for The Code Green Campaign, in conjunction with Quadcross Northwest. We received a plethora of donations for our silent auction and raffle, Quadcross Northwest sold green shirts, a representative from Code Green was in attendance, and caring members of the Northwest quad community (read: most all of them!) came bearing food and money to donate. It was an amazing experience to help close out the year of Northwest racing.

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

September 12th and 13th at Washougal will be the series finale of Quadcross Northwest’s 2015 season. Come wearing green for suicide awareness. We will be honoring two of our fallen community members, Joe Green and …

This race became a BIG undertaking for me, with making the decision to go race and have an epic vacation with my now, fiancée Rachel, it was going to take a lot of preparation to do this. I started by contacting the owner of The Quad Squad Australia, Adam Siemensmato see if I could use his quad for Finke. He obliged and the work began. I started to fund raise by giveaways from my awesome sponsors, gofundme page, selling advertising space on my t-shirts, selling the t-shirts, and by helping my parents sell their condo to make the rest of the cash. I sent my suspension, wheels/tires, gear and a camping setup for Rachel and I to Australia. Thanks to Fasst Company for helping me get it shipped away. I employed my now friend, Cade Cowdin (owner of Official Strength in St. George), to help me get the physical and mental strength to 100%. It was literally a transformation for me; I have never been that mobile, fast, powerful and strong in my life. I knew in my mind that no one was working harder in the gym than me and I know it would translate when it got tough out there. Sam at Dirt Fiend Racing brought back the popular “Tank” graphics kit to represent America. I was ready to get down to the Outback mate! I have to thank everyone that helped me get to this race and fulfill a dream. You don’t know how much it meant to me to try to win and represent for the USA!

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

Quadcross Northwest returned to Horn Rapids Motorsports Complex April 25th and 26th for the opening rounds. Beautiful weather on both days helped to highlight amazing racing and one of the biggest Pro gates the series has seen since it’s inception. Several large classes of riders took on the sandy mix, but only a few came out on the box! Fast rising Pro athlete Ruby Davis took 4 holeshots and 4 moto wins, while Jace Johnson put on a great effort to catch him.

The first two rounds of Quadcross Northwest took place in Richland, Washington at Horn Rapids. The fourth year the series has raced there, the track had undergone a few changes to the layout, giving racers familiar and new challenges. The Pro qualifier took place in the morning during what would have been second practice for the Pros. Ruby Davis turned the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:30 and change. This would be telltale of the weekend’s events.

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

Spokane, WA – After a crash last year at Washougal for the final rounds of Quadcross Northwest left Trevor Oestreich with news of a heart condition previously undiagnosed, Trevor was expected to never be able to do physical activities again. After extensive doctor visits and finally flying to New Jersey to see a specialist, Trevor Oestreich has been cleared to race the opening rounds of Quadcross Northwest next weekend. “I am very happy,” Trevor said by phone, “Especially going from zero racing last year to some riding and now getting back to racing! I just have to take it easier than before.” For Trevor, that means dropping down from the ProAm class and just competing in the Production A class.

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

Barstow, CA 2/22/2015- Man, I was excited to see this new venue, only racing NHHA for a few years; I never had the chance to race in Barstow. It hosts some of the gnarliest terrain on the west coast with multiple “SCORE” roads, very rocky and not a lot of places to pass on the virgin parts of the course. I had the “Rat Rod” prepped and ready for battle in the high California desert. I had the engine redone after the first race along with changing my Elka Suspension around a bit. The quad was amazing! As a Massachusetts native would say “My Moto Xperts/Hot Cams/Hot Rod/Cylinder Works/Vertex Piston TRX engine is a rippa!” I also, have to thank Jay at Impact Solutions for dialing in my Elkas, they worked really hard for me to make them the best they can be. Did some shock tuning with Alex and James Ortiz out at their house had a lot of laughs and got my quad working great.

I ended up driving down by myself to pick up some race fuel from RSI and my main man Jay Young of Team True Racing delivering it to Skyler and I. That was a huge help to both of our programs so thanks to them. I had to stop several times on the way as I was having some stomach issues early on, I felt like Harry Dunn (Dumb and Dumber) when Lloyd pours him some “superlax”….Haha! I had finally made it to the race site and settled in. My girlfriend
Rachel and her dad showed up shortly after. We got everything ready and rode a couple times to give the quads a shake down. I did some minor changes to the shocks and they were better than ever. I was Dungey pumped!

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

Edico Usak is one of the Canadian kids that blew the doors off the B class in the first year on 450s. He and fellow Canadian Hunter Friesen (interviewed here) had a pivotal year of learning on the big bike and now they are ready to jump up into A and the ProAm class and cement themselves there among veteran riders. We asked Edico a few questions about his upcoming race season. Here is what he had to say:

Going into the new season, what kind of expectations do you have for yourself this year? Going into the 2015 season my expectations are to try my hardest and do my best. I have trained very hard this off season and got myself into really good shape and feel ready to take on the challenge of Production A and ProAm.

Reflecting on last year’s racing, what did you focus on most for the off-season in order to improve for 2015? Last year was a really good year and a learning year being it the first on my 450. I focused this off season on my strength in the gym a lot. I felt like last year my stamina was great but the new, bigger machine was a lot more for me to handle. I didn’t feel like I would get out of breath tired, I just felt like I would get physically tired and felt like if I was a bit stronger it would help a lot. That’s what I focused on a lot this off season.

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

Phil Oppen, alongside girlfriend Miranda Williams and her son Kellen Williams, will be heading East this year. All the way from Estacada, Oregon to, well, all over the East Coast. Phil and familia are pursuing the ATV MX circuit this year. After getting a small taste of the competition at the ATV Pro Challenge, Phil traded his truck and trailer for a big dogger tractor trailer combo last Spring and has been putting countless hours into making the rig ready for the upcoming MX season. We asked him a few questions about his upcoming adventure.

Tell us about your racing plans this year. You’re heading back East to compete on the National Level. Are you excited? Nervous? Ready?That is true, it is something I have wanted to do since I started racing and this year I finally have a chance to go throw some laps down over there. I am very excited to be able to have this opportunity and feel well prepared for the season ahead.

When did you first think that racing back East would be possible? Well I was kind of feeling out the work situation last year to see if there was a way to make it mesh. Also, we were having a tough time fitting everything we needed into our last set up, so after I found the semi, it was a done deal.

Did you maybe get bit by the “bug” at the ATV Pro Challenge?Absolutely I did, it was a level of racing that I had never experienced. It made me realize that I can and will need to push myself a lot closer to the edge than I ever have.

You didn’t get much seat time in last year. How prepared do you feel you’ll be for your first round?I have probably lost a little speed from not riding very much last year, but I have been working on my fitness a lot and feel confident in myself that I will be able stay in the front of the pack.

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

We interviewed Chris Furches about his racing this year. Chris is the reigning indoor champion that just clinched his second title with a 61 point lead over second place and he won 9 out of the 12 rounds. Many of the races had full gates, so it was very challenging. He just got a Hybrid 450 to begin his practice toward racing it. That involves learning to shift, and control the power on it, and it’s something Chris is both frustrated by, and loves. Racing has had such a profound effect on Chris. It truly is his therapy (read parts 1 or 2 here and here). Autism can have symptoms like sensitivity to sound, noise, or the way something looks or feels. Chris had a terrible time with both noise and being dirty or wet. He used to wear ear plugs and his helmet at the track to deaden the sound of the engines. Not only does he not have to wear earplugs any more, he has learned to cope with mud and water through racing. At the track is where Chris shines (though he is getting excellent grades in school). He can socialize with other racers, he can do what he love, and all the while, learning new things to help him outside of racing. ” We are so proud of him,” said his mom, Stephanie, “He made my day yesterday. He looked up into the stands searched with his eyes to find me, then waved. That has never happened!”

While Autism is still being researched, and there’s a lot left to be known, it is certain that people afflicted with it are special. They are caring, they are smart, they are dedicated to what appeals to them, and while they have their struggles they certainly have their victories too. Here’s what Chris had to say about his racing (with a little interpretation in brackets by mom):

What’s your favorite part about riding?

Jumping is my favorite because I like going far and getting air. My heart feels good!Canyou tell us what it feels like when you are on the line, waiting forthe gate to drop?

I’m excited and ready and everything feels good.

What are your racing goals for this year?

Learn to race a big quad, place top 3 in my national classes, win [repeat] local and regional championships, start racing in a big quad class, & help others like me to race.

Do you like riding the 450? How is it different than your mini quad?

OH YEAH! The sound, the shifting, the speed, and power. It’s bigger too.

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

How did you come to the decision to move into the Pro class? I came to the decision when I realized I needed to push myself more, and what better way than pro? I want to give everyone in that class a good race this season!

What are you bringing to the Pro class? You didn’t have “breakout” year as a ProAm. Well, I’m riding more and more. I’ve ridden more than I have last year already. I hit the gym earlier as well as found some proven supplements to aid in my workouts. I feel unbelievably comfortable on my KTM now and I just lose track of everything besides me and the quad.

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.

Tell us about last year, your first racing a 450. How was the transition from your 250? Was there anything you would have liked to do differently? My biggest obstacle last year was my size. Big bike small rider! I have been working out as often as I can in preparation. But overall I was very comfortable by the end of season. I can’t say I would do anything different. I had a good transitional year so I’m happy with the results.

What did you learn by the end of the season that you wished you had mastered at the beginning of 2014? Power management. The 450 has so much more power then I was used to with the Raptor 250.

Megan grew up riding quads and got involved with the racing community in 2004, creating PitTraffic.com in 2005. A lifelong love of motorcycles keeps her involved, while her two small kids keep her very busy.